Artists from nine states and two countries will take part in this year's event.

The artists in the competition will enter roughly 25 scrimshaw works for judging in five categories, plus a People’s Choice Award that will be voted on by the general public. Many of the pieces will be done on fossil ivories, such as prehistoric mammoth tusk.

This year’s judges are Rhode Island’s own James Woods, talented actor/director and two-time Emmy award winner; Suzanne Scanlon, who is on the faculty of the Rhode Island School of Design, and Joseph Gallichio, an avid collector of many things, specializing in scrimshaw.

The event’s opening activities, including the judging of the scrimshaw works, takes place Sept. 15 and the exhibition will be open for public viewing from the 16th through Sept. 30. Collectors may call Barbara Cullen at 294-2262 for more information or to request an invitation to opening night. The public is encouraged to visit the Scrimshanders shop to cast votes for the People’s Choice Award. Work may also be viewed on the web a few days before the competition at www.scrimshanders.com.